Gate latch locking device

ABSTRACT

A wedge-shaped channel member with tapered flanges has aligned holes near the smaller ends of the flanges for the reception of the hasp of a conventional padlock. The web of the channel member also has a central hole near the smaller end of the channel member for the same purpose. The holes near the smaller end of the channel member are preferably duplicated at a different distance from the smaller end for the same purpose of receiving the padlock hasp in order to adapt the device to gate latches of different dimensions. Outwardly projecting wings are preferably provided at the larger end corners where they serve not only as handles facilitating withdrawal of the device but also as stops for widening the device when installed in the gate.

Unite States Patent swear Harvey Apr. 4, 1972 GATE LATCH LOCKING DEVIQE2,793,893 5/1957 Black ..292/76 [72] Inventor: Louis A. Harvey, 15107Ilene, Detroit, Primary Examiner Robert L Wolfe 48238 Attorney-Barthel &Bugbee [22] Filed: Nov. 4, 1970 [57] ABSTRACT [2]] Appl. No; 86,741

A wedge-shaped channel member with tapered flanges has aligned holesnear the smaller ends of the flanges for the [52] US Cl ..292/87,292/343 reception of the hasp of a conventional padlock. The web of [51]Int. Cl. .E05c 19/06 the channel member also has a central hole near thesmaller [58] Field of Search ..292/80, 87, 88, 205, 288, 327, end of thechannel member for the same purpose. The holes 292/342, DIG. 32; 70/14near the smaller end of the channel member are preferably duplicated ata different distance from the smaller end for the 5 References Citedsame purpose of receiving the padlock hasp in order to adapt the deviceto gate latches of different dimensions. Outwardly UNITED STATES PATENTSprojecting wings are preferably provided at the larger end corners wherethey serve not only as handles facilitatin AU-Mlllel' withdrawal of thedevice but also as stops for widening g 2,455,772 12/1948 Jackle..292/88 device when installed in the gate. 2,928,688 3/1960 Johnson..292/87 2,797,1 18 6/1957 Yoder ..292/87 9 Claims, 7 Drawing FiguresPATENTEDAPR 4 I972 3.653.701

mvsmon LOUIS E. HARVEY YBY 6W) ATTORNEYS GATE LATCH LOCKING DEVICESUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This wedge-shaped body is installed in thespace between the gate frame and the leaf spring latch and its taperedform enables it to fit varying widths of that space. It wedges the latchaway from the gate frame into non-retractable engagement with the latchkeeper on the adjacent gate post. The body is locked in its wedgingposition by the hasp of a conventional padlock passing through a hole orholes in the body near its smaller end. The body can be installed eithervertically (FIGS. 3 and 4) or horizontally (FIGS. and 6).

In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, looking from the front, of a gate latchlocking device, according to one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the device when installed, in a verticalposition, in a gate latch;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken along the line 44 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of a gate installation similar to FIG. 3,but with the gate latch locking device installed horizontally;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section taken along the line 66 in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a modification of the gate latchlocking device of FIGS. 1 to 6 inclusive.

Referring to the drawing in detail, FIG. 3 shows the upper portion of afence gate installation, generally designated 10, including a fence l4equipped with a horizontally swinging gate 14 provided with aconventional latch 16 mounted on the gate frame 18 movable into and outof engagement with a notched keeper 20 mounted on the gate fence post40. The latch 16 is provided with a wedge-shaped gate latch lockingdevice 24 having large and small ends 23 and 25 respectively, accordingto one form of the invention, and used with a conventional padlock 26,having a body 27 and a hasp 28, the latter being inserted through thelocking device 24 in such a manner as to prevent the withdrawal of thelatch 16 from the keeper 20.

The latch 16 is conventional and is in the form of a leaf springconsisting of an approximately Z-shaped strip 30 of spring steel havingits lower end portion 32 parallel to its upper end portion 34 to whichit is connected by an integral intermediate portion 36. The lower endportion 32 is secured, as by rivets 38, to the vertical member 22 of thegate frame 18. Extending from the top of the upper end portion 24 towardand past the vertical gate frame member 40 are parallel guide wings 42which guide the latch 16 as. it is swung toward and away from the notch44 (FIG. 4) in its keeper 20. The latter is L-shaped in side elevation(FIGS. 3 and 5) with a vertical arm 46 secured as by rivets 48 to thegate fence post 40 and with a horizontal arm 50 containing the notch 44.The bent guide wing ends 49 form handles.

The gate latch locking device 24 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is, as previouslystated, a wedge-shaped channel member with tapered flanges 52 projectingin spaced parallel relationship from a web 54. The web 54 is ofelongated rectangular shape whereas the flanges 52 are of trapezoidalshape in that their front edges 56 converge relatively to their rearwardedges 58 from their larger upper ends 60 toward their smaller lower ends62. The flanges 52 near their smaller ends 62 are provided with at leastone pair of aligned holes 64 for receiving the padlock hasp 28 andpreferably also are provided with a second pair of aligned holes 66 tofit varying dimensions of gate latches. Near its upper end 68 the web 54optionally is provided with a hole 70 for the attachment of one end of achain (not shown), the other end of which is secured to the fence post22 to prevent loss of the device 24. Near its lower end 72 (FIG. 2) theweb 54 is provided with a hole 74 and preferably also with a hole 76immediately above it for the same purpose of adapting the device 24 todifferent dimensions of gate latches. Near their upper ends 60 theflanges 52 are provided with outwardly bent ears 78 which serve not onlyas stops for preventing the device 24 from sliding between the guidewings 42 of the latch 16 but also serve as handles or finger grips bywhich the device 24 is more easily inserted and removed from itsposition adjacent the vertical member 40 of the gate frame 18.

The modified gate latch locking device, generally designated 80 (FIG.7), is generally similar to the gate latch locking device 24 of FIGS. 1to 6 inclusive, hence corresponding parts are designated with the samereference numerals. In the modified device 80, however, the larger endcorner ears 78 of FIGS. 1 and 2 are omitted for purposes ofsimplification and are replaced by straight corner portions 82 which arecoplanar with their respective sides or flanges 52.

In the use of the gate latch locking device 24, when the gate 14 hasbeen closed and the upper portion 34 of its latch 16 has been seated inthe notch 44 of its keeper 20, the small end 25 of the device 24 ispushed downward, from above, between the wings 42 until it wedges itselffirmly between the vertical member 22 of the gate frame 18 and the upperportion 34 of the latch 16. The hasp 28 of the unlocked padlock 26 isthen inserted through either the lower or upper pairs of aligned holes64 or 66 and then pushed into locked position within the padlock body27. When wedged and locked in this manner by the locking device 24 andpadlock 26, the latch 16 cannot be moved sufficiently far enough topermit its withdrawal from the notch 44 in the keeper 20. Attempts tounlock the latch 16 are prevented by the padlock 26 and the large end 23of the device 24 from passing in either direction between the parallelguide wings 24 on the upper end portion 34 of the latch 16.

As an optional alternative (FIGS. 5 and 6) the gate latch locking device24 may be inserted horizontally, with its small end 26 foremost, betweenthe upper end portion 34 of the latch 16 and the vertical member 40 ofthe gate frame 18 with its flanges 52 disposed above and below thehorizontal portion 50 of the keeper 20. When so installed, and with thehasp 28 of the padlock 26 inserted through one of the web holes 74 or 76(FIG. 6), the locking device 24 cannot then be withdrawn for the samereasons set forth immediately above.

The use of the modified gate latch locking device 80 of FIG. 7 is in allrespects similar to that, of the locking device 24 of FIGS. 1 to 6inclusive and follows a similar procedure, hence needs no repetitionthereof. Since, however, it lacks the corner ears 78 of the lockingdevice 24 of FIGS. 1 and 2, it is not as easily grasped.

I claim:

1. A gate latch locking device adapted to receive the hasp of aconventional padlock for locking the leaf spring latch on the frame of aconventional swinging gate into non-retractable engagement with thelatch keeper on the adjacent gate post, said device comprising anelongated wedge-shaped hollow body having laterally spaced opposite sidewalls tapered between one end of said body and the opposite end thereofand having a connecting wall extending between said side walls,

said body near said opposite end having hole means therein adapted toreceive the padlock hasp,

and said tapered side walls cooperatively wedging the leaf spring latchaway from the gate frame into nonretractable engagement with the latchkeeper on the adjacent gate post.

2. A gate latch locking device, according to claim I, wherein saidhollow body consists of a channel member with said connecting wallconstituting the web of said channel member and the tapered side wallsconstituting the flanges thereof.

3. A gate latch locking device, according to claim 2, wherein said holemeans comprises aligned holes in said flanges near said opposite end ofsaid body.

4. A gate latch locking device, according to claim 2, wherein said holemeans comprises a hole in said web near said opposite end of said body.

cludes a hole in said web near said opposite end of said body,

8. A gate latch locking device, according to claim 2, wherein saidflanges at said one end of said body have outwardly extending earsthereon.

9. A gate latch locking device, according to claim 2, wherein saidflange near said one end also has a hole therein adapted for theconnection of an elongated flexible retaining member,

1. A gate latch locking device adapted to receive the hasp of aConventional padlock for locking the leaf spring latch on the frame of aconventional swinging gate into non-retractable engagement with thelatch keeper on the adjacent gate post, said device comprising anelongated wedge-shaped hollow body having laterally spaced opposite sidewalls tapered between one end of said body and the opposite end thereofand having a connecting wall extending between said side walls, saidbody near said opposite end having hole means therein adapted to receivethe padlock hasp, and said tapered side walls cooperatively wedging theleaf spring latch away from the gate frame into non-retractableengagement with the latch keeper on the adjacent gate post.
 2. A gatelatch locking device, according to claim 1, wherein said hollow bodyconsists of a channel member with said connecting wall constituting theweb of said channel member and the tapered side walls constituting theflanges thereof.
 3. A gate latch locking device, according to claim 2,wherein said hole means comprises aligned holes in said flanges nearsaid opposite end of said body.
 4. A gate latch locking device,according to claim 2, wherein said hole means comprises a hole in saidweb near said opposite end of said body.
 5. A gate latch locking device,according to claim 2, wherein said hole means comprises a plurality ofpairs of aligned holes in said flanges disposed at different distancesfrom said opposite end of said body.
 6. A gate latch locking device,according to claim 2, wherein said hole means comprises a plurality ofholes in said web disposed at different distances from said oppositeend.
 7. A gate latch locking device, according to claim 2, wherein saidhole means comprises a pair of aligned holes in said flanges near saidopposite end of said body and also includes a hole in said web near saidopposite end of said body.
 8. A gate latch locking device, according toclaim 2, wherein said flanges at said one end of said body haveoutwardly extending ears thereon.
 9. A gate latch locking device,according to claim 2, wherein said flange near said one end also has ahole therein adapted for the connection of an elongated flexibleretaining member.